Day Spring E-Cards

 Ruby Delores Adams

I began my “career” by working as secretary at Jenkins (KY) High School, and two years later I was moved to the school superintendent’s office to be his secretary and treasurer to the board of education.  I also spent a few years working in the office of a CPA.  My last employment was bookkeeper at an optometrist’s office; that lasted 21 years.  I was also clerk/treasurer of my church in Jenkins for many years and am currently treasurer of the church here in Michigan.

One of my other church activities was teaching, which is my first love!  I have taught in every age group except very small children and have worked children’s church a few times with them.  My hearing impairment made it difficult to hear their little soft voices.  As my hearing loss progressed, I asked my adult Sunday school class to release me as their teacher, but they chose not to. 

I have been writing for many years and just sharing things with my family and friends.  At my sister’s insistence, I began to investigate publishing articles on a web site.  As a computer novice I learned by trial and error, and it seemed like mission impossible; but perseverance and encouragement kept me trying, and with the help of a cyber-friend that the Lord placed in my path, Heart 2 Heart was born.  I also did a web site for my church at Jenkins and one for my family.  Then I created a web site for my brother-in-law and my sister’s church in Michigan.

Since moving to Michigan, I have added another web site, There’s Good News.  The web sites gave me opportunity to share some things I had written with folks other than my family and close friends.

In July, 2008 I had cochlear implant surgery which restored my hearing, and it has opened up a whole new world for me.  I have been blessed greatly in many ways!

I have a personal page on the family web site with additional personal information.

“Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?  It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matthew 5:13).

Some sources say that salt has more than 14,000 uses and Americans use more than 400 pounds each per year!  Included in these uses are: water conditioning, highway salt, agriculture salt, food grade salt and chemical salt.

All humans and animals require both sodium and chloride for life and health.  Since the body cannot manufacture either, they are “essential” nutrients.  Table salt consists of tiny cubes tightly bound together through ionic bonding.

It is no wonder that Jesus used salt in His teaching about our being the “salt of the earth.”  Its myriad uses and its properties point out why He intended us to be the ‘salt of the earth.’  Our bodies cannot manufacture salt just as we within ourselves cannot manufacture our own salvation nor our usefulness to the Kingdom of God on the earth.  Our redemption comes from the cross of Jesus Christ, and our service to His Kingdom can only be accomplished by His power operating in us.

The “earth” needs us!  If it didn’t, Jesus would not have sent us to be the ‘salt of the earth.’  The uses of salt touch our daily lives, our good health and that of our animals as well as non-human consumption.  As Christians, the influence of Christ touches every facet of our lives; and we in turn touch others in some way every day. 

It is no small thing to be the “salt of the earth”!  It is a great and wondrous responsibility.  We represent our Lord on this earth, and how we live our lives will determine whether we are the ‘salt’ they need or worthless to be cast aside.  

Let us just consider ordinary table salt.  It makes life more interesting.  It acts as a preservative and adds flavor to the dullest of foods.  Maybe you have noticed that homes and restaurants have containers of salt available with the food we eat. 

The containers come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, materials and color.  They may be of crystal, glass, metal, wood or even paper; shaped simply cylindrically or elaborately, plain or brightly colored--just like the family of God who are of all shapes, sizes and colors.  The usefulness is in the content (salt) not the container.

“I was once a nut

In a brown paper bag,

Until Jesus salted me

And tossed me to the world

To make it thirsty for Him.”

Salt is tenacious.  It can become hardened in its container if it isn‘t stored in a favorable environment; but if you touch your tongue to it, you will find that it still tastes salty.  It can be broken up again and be used as salt.  It can be spilled outside its container but gathered again and put back where it belongs and used.  Cares of life can hit us so hard that we become hardened, but the love hammer of God can break us and put us back in use.  We can be so devastated by life’s happenings that we get spilled, but His Love will gather us to His bosom and put us back together.

Jesus said we could lose our savor.  How can we lose our saltiness and be cast out as useless?  I can think of only two ways for table salt to become useless and cast away, and for us to lose the calling to be the “salt of the earth.”  One is that Salt could become contaminated.  The other is that salt can be so diluted that it is no longer salty.

We can become contaminated by allowing un-repented-of sin to pollute our Christian witness.  While we are ‘in the world (as salt),’ we are not ‘of the world.’  Once we become ‘of the world’ we are no longer usable.  If our lives are no different from the ‘earth’ to which we have been sprinkled by Jesus as salt, we become contaminated.  Sin in our lives will bring shame to the name of Christ and grief to our Lord.  We are ineffective, “un-salty” and of no value to His Kingdom.

The other way for salt to lose its usefulness is to become diluted.  Salt can be diluted to the point that it is no longer salty.  Used properly, salt added to food would enhance its flavor; but if we kept adding ingredients, eventually we would not be able to detect the salt and the mixture would not be tasty. 

We can dilute the ‘salt’ in our lives by adding ingredients that will make us unsavory and useless as Christians, and no one will be thirsty for Him because of us. 

That is our purpose—for the Holy Spirit to use us to draw people to Christ Jesus, but when we add things to our lives that are contrary to our Christian walk or attempt to redefine the Word of God to justify what we don‘t want to obey, we will soon dilute our saltiness to the point of not being salty at all. 

God may have to put us into an evaporation mode to remove all the added ingredients that have made us unsavory.  Only He can make us the “salt of the earth” again. 

May we keep our salt containers pure from contamination and add nothing to the property of the salt so that we can make the world thirsty for the living water of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Email: Delores Adams

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